Since different types of data such as text data, table data, image data, and the like require different structures used to define these data, and different edit operations for these data, various application programs corresponding to various types of data have been proposed. Therefore, the user who uses these data must selectively use these applications in correspondence with the types of data: a text processing program upon editing text data, a spreadsheet program upon editing table data, an image edit program upon editing an image, and so forth.
In this manner, the users normally selectively use application programs in correspondence with the types of data. However, the user normally creates a document which includes a plurality of types of data such as text and table data, text and image data, and the like in place of a document which includes only one type of data such as text data alone, table data alone, image data alone, or the like. Hence, in order to create a document including a plurality of types of data, the user must create a desired document by using respective applications to print respective data using print functions of various applications, and combining printouts in a desired order.
Alternatively, a program, called an office suite, which forms an integrated application by various applications, provides a function of forming a single document by combining data generated by respective applications. Using such integrated application, the user can combine data generated by respective applications into one document using a specific application included in that integrated application.
However, when the user wants to generate a single, target document upon adding page numbers to respective pages by combining printouts of various applications, he or she must temporarily print out all required data, combine these printouts as a document, and determine page numbers to be added. For example, even when an application program has a function of assigning page numbers, the user must designate those for discontinuous pages. Also, when a layout of document pages is redone, page numbers must be re-assigned accordingly. Even when only a document format is changed without changing the data contents, so as to combine a plurality of original pages into one page as a printout (such page is called a physical page or print page), or to change, e.g., a single-sided print mode to a dual-sided print mode, edit and print processes must be redone by applications.
In this manner, since different applications are required to manage different types of data, the user himself or herself must manually provide an interface among the applications. This requires considerable labor of the user, and deteriorates the productivity. Furthermore, since many manual operations are required, errors readily occur.
In recent years, an integrated application (also called a print control application) which has a function of creating a single, target document by combining printouts of various applications, and assigning headers/footers including page numbers and the like to respective pages of the created document has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-091520).
Also, recent printer drivers have a function of assigning page numbers to respective pages, (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 11-298713, 2000-025278, 2003-091407, and the like).
On the other hand, upon creating a document using such integrated application, various data can be laid out using a print preview function or the like in the state of data without any actual print process. Using such function, required labor can be reduced compared to a case wherein a document is created by manually combining printouts.
However, upon adding headers/footers including page numbers and the like to document pages using such conventional integrated application, only fixed print positions (e.g., “left”, “center”, “right”, and the like) of respective pages for the whole document can be selected. For this reason, in a dual-sided print mode or booklet print mode that requires staple, if the user designates to assign page numbers to “right” (or “left”) for all pages, the page numbers are assigned to some pages on the binding margin side. For this reason, even when the user wants to assign page numbers to respective pages on the outer side with respect to the binding position, the aforementioned setup cannot dynamically change the assigned positions of page numbers on the obverse and reverse faces. As a result, a desired print result cannot be obtained.
The header/footer (page number) assignment function of a printer driver similarly encounters such problems, and cannot dynamically assign page numbers in consideration of the binding position or open direction.